Jay Triano made the first of what will surely be many tough future roster decisions on Thursday.

The fact that more talent than ever is eager to suit up for Canada’s senior men’s squad means Triano, the head coach, is in for some difficult calls over the next few years.

With the team heading to Orlando to finish its training camp before the Tutu Marchand Cup in Puerto Rico later this month and then the FIBA Americas tournament in Venezuela starting Aug. 30, Myck Kabongo and Phil Scrubb were cut.

Triano was quick to point out though that he could easily see both of the guards back down the line.

“They’re still part of our basketball pool. Phil had a great summer with us, he’s been on teams wearing the Canadian uniform this summer that have gone 17-2 and a lot of that has to do with him,” Triano said of Scrubb, the Carleton star who is a Richmond, B.C. native.

“With Myck, we just think he needs a little bit more time and development … I told Myck he had a great camp. I thought he got better every single day. That’s why we’re not quitting on this kid, we think he can be part of this program in the future and he needs to learn from one of the best right now.”

To that end, Kabongo, who spent two years at Texas before stunningly going undrafted is off to Vancouver where he will train with two-time NBA MVP and Canada GM Steve Nash. Kabongo recently left agent Rich Paul for Bill Duffy, who represents Nash, among many others.

“We’re going to have Myck go out there and learn how to be a point guard under Steve,” said the coach.

Three final cuts will need to be made before the squad heads to Venezuela. Veteran Carl English is nearing a return to full health after coming into camp with a few nicks and will likely be tasked with carrying a lot of the scoring load for Canada.

Forwards Kyle Landry (Calgary) and Aaron Doornekamp (Odessa, Ont.) and guards Devoe Joseph (Pickering) and Junior Cadougan (Toronto) are thought to still be on the bubble, though Triano heaped praise on both Cadougan and Doornekamp for their toughness on Thursday.

TEAM IDENTITY

San Antonio Spurs guard Cory Joseph, expected to be Canada’s starter, has a good idea of what the team’s strengths will be:

“I think we can be great defensively. We’re big, we’ve got athletic big men who can contest or change a lot of shots. We’re fast at the guard positions so we can get up on guys and cause havoc,” Joseph explained.

“I think we can be great in transition as well because we’re very fast, our bigs can get up and down the court.”

BONDING TIME

Triano enjoyed his time in Toronto using the Raptors practice facility, but said given the distractions of many players being at home, it will be nice to get on the road.

Being in Orlando and then overseas will allow the team to bond.

“It’s time for us to get away and be together as a team and start to build that team (atmosphere),” Triano said.

English, who has been around long enough to know for sure — “I’m wise, let’s say that,” joked the 32-year-old team elder statesman — agreed that gaining familiarity is huge for any group that has visions of grandeur.

“You get to know their families and get to know them as people so then, when the s— hits the fan and you’re on the court, you know you’ve got each other’s back. That’s all part of the process,” English said.

AROUND THE RIM

“It feels good to finally have the opportunity to do this, I wanted to do it for a while,” said Mississauga’s Andrew Nicholson after playing for Canada for the first time earlier this month … Building on a strong 2011 showing, Jevohn Shepherd has made a great case to remain the team’s starter at small forward. However, the Toronto native told the Sun he isn’t concerned whether he is out for the opening tip or not – “it’s all about wins.” Shepherd said he learned from national team veterans like Jesse Young in the past and is trying to use his experience to help some of the younger players adjust to the FIBA game … Triano on Cadougan, Doornekamp and Miami Heat centre Joel Anthony: “They’re tough on every possession and they play hard every day. I think that’s a great thing, because, if you don’t match that as a teammate, then you get embarrassed.”

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